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Re: Skins Quotes 12/01/17

I love Brian Mitchell's post-game comments (TIRADE) about the outcome of the Dallas game and the Redskins demeanor as a team.

Regarding special teams, he raised the obvious question of why a unit that has struggled on returns and coverage for years and has had some key FG misses on makeable tries in crunch time, continues to employ a coach in Ben Kotwica that has VERY LITTLE NFL experience, at least of the winning variety.

He was what special teams coach in NY with the Jets for 1 or 2 years?

Brian is right. We need a guy like a Wayne Sevier or Joe Avezzano was in the past - a guy that knew special teams upside and down and had won big in the past while getting several generations of players to buy into their approaches.

In that regard, I go back to the Bellichick example. How many years in a row does Bellichick allow a team weakness to remain a team weakness?

Good coaches use the offseason to evaluate and plug the gaps not only in the draft and free agency, but in terms of coaching and approaches on offense/defense/special teams.

Special teams continue to defeat us in big games - we NEVER are the ones that get the 100 yard kickoff return to win a game like Thursday night's.

It has to change this offseason or really Gruden needs to go.

Gruden has been the HC since 2014. He gets a honeymoon for starting with no #1 picks playing for the team from 2013 or 2014 due to the RGIII trade.

So, his first year was going to be limited in any event because the younger core players were not there.

But we have some of these players now, in fact more than a few.

The draft has produced some good young players that are improving on an individual basis. Kendall Fuller, Montae Nicholson, Matt Ioannidis, Jonathan Allen - to go with guys like Brandon Scherff from 2015 and veterans in their primes like Trent and Josh Norman.

Our front office has done a decent job. In fact a good job.

But our draft pickers/scouts/player personnel guys have been undermined in some respects by Bruce Allen and Jay Gruden.

Gruden didn't want to draft a TE or RB high because he believes 100% in Jordan Reed and thought that Kelley and Mack Brown were prospects worthy of developing.

Those were mistakes.

While bringing in Vernon Davis last year as a free agent was a savior for the offense - it only pointed up how we CANNOT COUNT on Jordan Reed.

And we can't count on ANY of the tight ends to be consistent blockers at the point of attack.

Going into the 2018 draft and free agent period we NEED to find MORE at tight end, running back, AND wide receiver.

Gruden also championed the cause of Shawn Lauvao who over the past 2 years was the weak link in our offensive line.

Perhaps NOW after his contract has expired and he is on IR, we can go into the offseason and pull in an established veteran LG who we can plug in next to Trent and not have to face these OL questions again in 2018.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Co. have all but prevented the team from selecting a capable quarterback prospect in the draft.

So, Kirk Cousins remains in a dominant position vis a vis the team in re a new contract because there is no other immediate option.

Even as Bellichick had Brady three years ago, he still spent a #2 pick on Jimmy Garroppolo.

The Packers did the same thing in 2005 taking Aaron Rogers at #2 4 in Round 1 despite having a Hall of Fame passer in Brett Favre.

So, why couldn't we do that here? Kirk hasn't won any Super Bowls for us. He doesn't deserve any more than being paid the salary he has negotiated with the team.

In the name of competition and the future of the team the Redskins needed and still need to continue to add talent across the roster and that includes quarterback.

Taking Nate Sudfeld at the end of Round 6, a player whose footwork Chris Cooley described as a rookie as being 'abysmal' doesn't count as a 'solid' prospect.

The other area Mitchell ripped the team was in Cousins' comment that the team did in fact put out real effort to win the Cowboys game.

I didn't think this team really played hard for 60 minutes, and Mitchell backed that up with his observation.

He said that Kirk can say what he wants to 'support his guys' in the media, but Mitchell could tell the that while the Redskins were not laying down against Dallas they certainly were not performing as a focused, energetic football team either.

Mitchell wondered out loud as I have why Cousins himself is not doing more ON the field to get the team out of these funks, regroup and come back strong to contend for a victory at the end.

It appears to me and evidently to Mitchell and Doc Walker as well that once things start to go bad for the Redskins on the field with a bad play, ref's call, or turnover there is NO LEADER - be it Kirk Cousins, Jay Gruden, Ryan Kerrigan, etc. that exerts his will on the team to check themselves and not lose focus and continue to compete HARD.

I think DJ Swearinger has those instincts and may with more seniority here develop into one of those players. Trent Williams mentally is a top flight competitor, unfortunately he is a 'lead by example' type and not someone that is going to go up and down the bench and shame guys when it appears they are starting to lose their edge.

Kirk?

I don't see Kirk Cousins as an emotional leader of men. Yes, he can throw TDs and he supports his teammates, refusing to pass off the blame the way RGIII did in the past.

That's 50% of the 'leadership thing'. But he is missing the other 50%, which is the VOCAL, VISIBLE ON FIELD actions to snap guys back into attention.

When Crowder bounced that pass for an INT in the red zone and Docston dropped a couple of balls that would have been first downs, Cousins needed to get in their grilles and demand better of them!

Instead the offense quietly left the field and went to go sit on the bench.